


friends, and benefits

by covellite



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, Friends With Benefits, M/M, Miscommunication, discussions about sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:46:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28003353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/covellite/pseuds/covellite
Summary: Impulse and Tango were perfect together. Zedaph was in love with them, but he had it all figured out. Then they invited him into their bed.
Relationships: ImpulseSV/Tango Tek/Zedaph, impulseSV/Tango Tek (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 97





	friends, and benefits

Tango and Impulse were perfect together. This was just fact, like how the sun rose in the east or how xB will put his base far away. And much like xB's base and the sun, Zedaph had never felt any real desire to change their relationship in any way. Why would he want to change anything about them when they were already perfect? He was content to sit on the sidelines and watch even as his heart begged for more. 

He certainly never expected them to invite him into their bed.

He’d almost wanted to say no, just to avoid damaging their relationship somehow, but Impulse had given him that warm smile and Tango had been looking at him so earnestly, and Zedaph had let his heart speak over his brain.

A warm hand trailed up his side and chest, brushing against his skin, almost too light to feel. Its counterpart had a firm hold on his hip, keeping him from moving away. A mouth pressed against his neck, leaving dark splotches whenever it left his skin.

He whimpered into the dark night, fruitlessly trying to move his hips closer. Tango made a low sound, almost a laugh, and pressed even closer.

"Be patient, Zed," he said smoothly as Zedaph gasped. "Good things come to those who wait."

"Maybe we should be nice to him." Impulse ran a hand through Zedaph’s hair. "For tonight, at least."

He didn’t know what made his body more excited, the suggestion that this wouldn't be the only time, or the way Tango’s mouth was dangerously close to his pulse point.

"Is that what you want?" Tango breathed into his skin.

Zedaph barely managed to respond with actual words.

After that night, that one wonderful night he could never repeat, Zedaph went back to his base with a satisfied body and a hurting heart. It had been fun, but it was over now and there was no point in lingering on the memories. He wouldn’t let himself make their friendship awkward.

This was easier said than done. He’d been suppressing his feelings for Impulse and Tango for a long, long time, but it seemed like sleeping with them had undone all his progress in that department. Really, he should have expected as much. It was one thing to ignore his dreams of what a hypothetical relationship with them would be like — it was something entirely different to ignore those dreams when he now had a first-hand experience of what it would actually be like.

But eventually his heart learned to calm down. He stopped wanting to hide whenever he saw Impulse or Tango, and was able to jokingly flirt with them the way he used to, and didn’t even blush too hard when they flirted back. The night they’d spent together was still a fond memory, but it no longer occupied the forefront of his brain.

Then he got lost while boating around the sea.

He’d broken his elytra halfway home from the shopping district, and decided to take that opportunity to go sightseeing. So he’d sailed around, admiring the various bases he saw, before trying to return home and realizing he didn’t know the sea nearly as well as he thought he did. Everything looked so much different from sea level than they did from the skies, not that he spent all that much time flying, either.

The sun, which had been high in the sky at the start of his adventure, now rapidly approached the horizon, and to make matters worse, dark clouds loomed above. A thunderstorm, by the looks of it. It wasn’t raining yet, but it would be soon. And he had no idea where he was.

After an annoyingly long time spent rowing, almost enough to make Zed want to try and sleep in his little boat rather than keep on, Impulse’s pyramid emerged from the fog, even more impressive than usual surrounded by the dark of night. A new burst of energy flowing through his veins, Zedaph wasted no time in rowing over as quickly as possible, nearly crashing his boat into the side of the pyramid in his excitement over being somewhere he knew.

He must have made a ruckus while climbing out of his boat, because Impulse appeared from the upper floors before Zedaph could say a word. He flew down in front of him, squishing Zedaph’s face between his hands as he looked him over.

“What are you doing out in this kind of weather?” he asked in that familiar worried tone. “Aren’t you cold? Come on, let’s get you into something warmer.”

Zedaph smiled up at him and let Impulse lead him over to the living area. He could have used Impulse’s nether portal to get home, but he was never all that fond of travelling in the Nether without proper equipment, and Impulse wouldn’t want him doing something that dangerous. Besides, he knew Impulse, and he knew Impulse would worry himself sick if Zedaph didn’t at least let Impulse fret over him for a while.

Impulse politely shoved some clothes at Zedaph, and let him change in privacy. Zedaph’s face burned just a little at wearing one of Impulse’s shirts, but he had his composure back by the time Impulse returned holding an extra blanket and wearing pajamas of his own. Impulse turned a little pink when he saw Zedaph.

“You’re cute in that,” he said as he tossed the blanket onto his bed and ruffled Zedaph’s hair. “You should wear my clothes more often.”

“I would, but you’d just get mad at me for stealing.”

Impulse gave him a fond smile. “I could never be mad at you. Not really.”

They crawled into bed together, Zedaph easily fitting himself against Impulse’s chest and delighting when Impulse put an arm around him.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had a sleepover,” Impulse said, running a hand through Zedaph’s hair.

“Not since… that night.” Zedaph hadn’t even thought about it until just then. All of a sudden he felt uncomfortable being so close to Impulse in bed, in the dark, just the two of them. “Will Tango be upset?”

“Why would he be upset?” Confusion was written clearly on Impulse’s face.

“Because we’re in the same bed.”

“We’ve shared beds before, Zed. Lots of times.”

“Yeah, but that was before…”

“Before we slept together.”

“Yeah.”

Impulse patted Zedaph’s head. “Tango won’t be upset. We’ve talked about this sort of thing.” Impulse paused, considering. “Honestly, I think he’d be happy if you and I sleep together.”

Zedaph choked on air. “ _What_?”

Impulse laughed gently. “Maybe he’d be jealous, but only because he’s been trying to get you in bed with him for ages.”

“What, since when? I’ve never noticed.”

“Really?”

“Really!”

“He says he flirts with you all the time.”

“Well, he does, but that’s just how Tango is.”

Impulse made a sound like he was holding back another laugh. “That’s how he is when he’s around _you_.”

“Oh,” Zedaph said, mind full of surprise and wonder. “Even before-?”

“Even before,” Impulse confirmed. “I told him you wouldn’t realize unless he said it outright, but he wouldn’t listen.”

“I would’ve figured it out eventually,” Zedaph argued with a pout.

“You’re lucky you’re cute.” Impulse let his hand trail down Zedaph’s body until it was just above his hip. “I know you were probably expecting just a normal sleepover, and we can do that if you want, but-”

“Yes, please,” Zedaph said, interrupting Impulse — and his own thoughts. Impulse grinned brightly and rolled over him.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” he said, and kissed him.

Sleeping with Impulse changed something in Zedaph’s relationship with both him and Tango. Impulse still gave him that same warm smile as before, but there was now a heat in his eyes that Zedaph couldn’t ignore. Tango's flirting somehow became even more overt, and Zedaph regularly found himself being pressed against the nearest wall and kissed until he could barely breathe. It was, well, it was _really_ hot and fun. He'd wanted both of them for so long, and now he had them, and it was wonderful. Except.

It was only physical. There were no _I love you_ s or soft kisses as greetings, no candlelit picnics under the stars like he dreamed of. He liked the sex and the making out, he _really_ did, but to him it always felt like something was missing. And Tango and Impulse didn't feel the same. How could they, when they had a perfect relationship, when they were both so wonderful and impressive and he was just himself?

He almost wished he could go back to before, to when he had no idea what a relationship with them would be like. When he was happy just to stand back and watch. He wasn't happy doing so anymore, but he couldn't do anything about it. Watching them love each other hurt, but trying to avoid them hurt more. He was stuck.

And then he started flirting with Grian.

It was just a casual thing, an inside joke that had begun back when they first met. They didn't often see each other, but whenever they did they made a point to try and make the other as flustered as possible. Grian would grab Zedaph's butt when they hugged, Zedaph would lean in and whisper something horribly naughty in Grian's ear, and then they would break apart laughing hysterically. This was how their relationship had always been. Neither was interested in the other, and they both knew that, and they both enjoyed their odd little friendship.

Usually he almost never saw Grian, or anyone else besides Impulse and Tango for that matter, but in helping Tango with Decked Out, Zedaph ended up spending a lot more time in the cowmercial district than usual, and as a result spent a lot of time in Grian's presence. They flirted just as much as ever, and Zedaph looked forward to seeing Grian in the Decked Out lobby or in front of town hall.

"Well if you're not busy tonight, maybe you can come down to my mansion and I'll show you the master bedroom, hmm?" Grian said as he stood between Zedaph's legs, a ridiculous smile barely restraining his laughter. Zedaph, sitting on Cubfan's pity barrel, pretended to fix the collar of Grian's sweater, fighting back his own laugh as he spoke.

"Maybe you should come back to mine instead. I can show you some of my favorite contraptions. Maybe I'll even build you your own if you behave." He spoke with as sultry a voice as he could manage, which was difficult when giggles kept escaping him in-between words.

Grian probably had something entertaining to say, and based on his eyes it probably would've been explicit enough to make Zedaph blush from his head to his toes, but a cough startled them both out of their silly little world.

"Oh dear, looks like we've been found out," Grian said, stepping away from Zedaph and stretching his elytra out. "Guess we'll have to meet up some other time. See you later, big boy."

With a sudden, surprising, kiss to Zedaph's cheek, Grian was gone, flying up the stairs with a shrieking laugh as Zedaph turned bright red.

"Hi, Tango," he said once his voice was back to a mostly normal pitch. "Didn't see you come in." He must've been really caught up in his own world with Grian to have not heard Tango come in, considering how loud Tango's boots usually were.

"Yeah, clearly." Tango raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you and Grian were so close."

"Me and Grian? Oh, we've always been like this."

"Always?"

"Since the beginning of last season, yeah. We just don't get to see each other often."

"I see." There was something… _off_ about Tango that Zedaph couldn't quite put his finger on. He seemed strained despite the casualness of the conversation.

"Everything alright?" he asked. Tango rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. Everything's fine. Listen, turns out Decked Out doesn't need as much maintenance as I thought, so I don't need your help. You're free to go do whatever."

"Are you sure?" Zedaph tried not to let the rejection seep into his voice. He always liked spending time with Tango, even if all they were doing was throwing compasses into dispensers.

"I'm sure. Go find Grian or something. I'm sure he'd love to spend more time with you." Bitterness, maybe even anger, was so clear in Tango's voice Zedaph almost didn't recognize the tone at first. Tango, despite his more demonic appearance, was rarely angry, and especially not at Zedaph.

He had turned his back to Zedaph, heading for the maintenance entrance of Decked Out. Zedaph hopped off the barrel, reaching out for Tango's jacket before he could stop himself. Tango stumbled to a stop, and when Zedaph got a good look at his face, he bit back a gasp. Tango looked away stubbornly, but that didn't stop Zedaph from seeing the tears welling up in his red eyes.

"Tango? What's wrong?" he asked, reaching up to try and wipe some of the tears away. Tango jerked his head and stepped back roughly.

"Don't be stupid," he said. "You never told us."

"Never told you what?"

"That you and Grian are-"

Zedaph waited, but the rest of the sentence never came. "Me and Grian are?"

"Together. You're dating or fucking or whatever. You never said." Tango's voice broke as he finished speaking. Zedaph's heart fell into his stomach.

"We aren't though," he said, not caring if it sounded like he was begging. "Trust me. We have no interest in each other. It's a silly game we play."

"Is that so?" Tango scoffed. "And what about me and Impulse? Are we a game to you too?"

"What?"

Tango growled, running a hand through his hair. "All the sex. And the kissing and all that. Does it mean anything to you?"

Zedaph's tongue felt heavy in his mouth, but he forced himself to speak. "No. I would never hurt you and Impulse's relationship like that."

Something about his words distracted Tango from whatever weird thing he was caught up on, and he looked at Zedaph in clear confusion. "What?"

"I know you guys only invited me into your bed for a bit of excitement," Zedaph explained, trying his best to seem unaffected by what he was saying. "And I respect that. I don't want to damage your relationship by trying to interfere."

Tango barked out a short, dry laugh. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Zedaph blinked at him, then took a step back. "You… I don't understand. What's confusing?"

Tango groaned and dragged a hand down his face. "I think we need to find Impulse and talk. Properly."

Impulse was already waiting for them in Doc's half-abandoned restaurant by the time they arrived. Tango had chosen it as a neutral place, and Zedaph had agreed, but the empty tables and accumulating dust were anything but comfortable. He shoved those thoughts aside.

"What's the problem?" Impulse asked once the two of them were seated.

"Apparently he and Grian flirt with each other as a game. A lot. And say very… not safe for Jellie things to each other."

Zedaph squirmed in his seat. "It _is_ just a game though. Everyone knows he's happy with Scar. It's just fun seeing who will blush first."

Impulse nodded, though Tango looked unconvinced. "Alright. Is that all?"

"Yes?" Zedaph said.

"No," Tango said at the same time. They looked at each other, then back to Impulse. "He thinks we only want him sexually."

Impulse's eyes widened, to the point he looked just a bit like a fish. "What?"

"That's what I said!" Tango exclaimed. "And he said he doesn't want to 'interfere' with our relationship, whatever the fuck that means."

Impulse closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. "I think you and I haven't made our intentions clear," he said slowly. He turned to Zedaph, who shrank a little in his seat. "Zed, is what Tango said true?"

Zedaph nodded, not trusting his voice. There was something strange in the air. He wasn't the most observant guy, but he could tell something in their relationship would change. But, to his own surprise, he didn't know what that change would be.

"How do we say this?" Impulse said under his breath, fidgeting with his fingers. "Zed. We, uh. We didn't intend for it to just be a sexual thing. We never did. If that's all that you wanted, that's fine, but we always thought there was more to it than that. I thought you knew, but clearly we need to work on our communication skills." That last sentence was directed more at Tango, who stuck his tongue out.

"I thought I was obvious about it," he said. Zedaph barely noticed.

"It was- you wanted romance? With me?" Zedaph asked dumbly. Impulse and Tango nodded.

"We thought we had romance with you," Impulse said. "We tried going on dates, but something always came up."

"Not true. Me and Zed went on a successful date to see the coral reefs once."

"What?" Zedaph shook his head. "We were collecting pufferfish for a prank."

"Yeah, and there were coral reefs and we saw them."

Impulse groaned something unintelligible into his hands.

"It was too a date," Tango said hotly. "We even banged afterwards."

"So, hold on." Zedaph put a hand up to stop whatever weird argument they were sure to get into. "That first night we had sex. It wasn't just an invitation into your bed, but also into your relationship?"

Impulse and Tango nodded.

"Why was there such a long wait between that and the next time I slept with one of you?"

Impulse let out a nervous giggle while Tango shrugged.

"It just never seemed the right time," Impulse said.

"And you're _really_ oblivious," Tango added. "I've been trying to get you in bed with us since season five, but you've never noticed."

Zedaph blushed, remembering all the times Tango had said something Zedaph had assumed was platonic but had spent hours overthinking later.

"So, I'm not intruding by wanting more?" Zedaph asked, trying not to be bothered by the way his voice wavered. Both of them shook their heads, Tango looking like he wanted to bolt out of his seat.

"Never," he said. "We want more with you, too." With that, he really did get out of his seat. He stood to Zedaph's side and ruffled his hair. "You're wonderful. How could we not fall for you?"

Zedaph leaned into the touch, and felt himself smile. "Oh. Okay then."

"Is this you agreeing to be in a relationship with us?" Impulse asked as he came to stand with Tango. "A romantic relationship, I mean."

"Of course." Zedaph turned, leaning up and pulling Tango down to kiss him. "Can we still do the sex stuff? 'Cause I've never had jealous sex with you guys and I think it'd be really hot. I can go flirt with Grian again too, if that's what it takes."

Tango pulled Zedaph out of his chair, red eyes already burning with heat. "No need. Come on, Impulse. Let's get this guy home."


End file.
